Today's Labour News
This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
Public service unions reject 3% wage, to march in Tshwane on Tuesday to deliver demands to Treasury and Ramaphosa
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BL Premium reports that public service unions have rejected the government’s revised final offer of 3% for SA’s more than 1.3-million public servants, who are demanding inflation-beating increases.
Morning roundup of labour news on Tuesday, 20 September 2022
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In our Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
All-out zama zama turf war erupts in Joburg, with mutilated bodies in Maraisburg linked to displacement of Krugersdorp group
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Sunday Times reports that a bloody turf war among illegal miners in Maraisburg, western Johannesburg, where 10 bodies were found last week, is directly linked to the displacement of the gang believed to be behind the Krugersdorp mass rapes.
Five SANDF members killed on Saturday in Mpumalanga in collision with tree
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TimesLive reports that five members of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) were killed when their vehicle collided with a tree on Saturday in Mpumalanga.
Eskom admits that it lacks the skills to resolve the load shedding crisis, but wants South Africans to pay 30% more for electricity
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City Press writes that while SA is once again dangerously close to the abyss of a total electricity network collapse, Eskom management must make its way through murky political waters in an attempt to appoint experts who know how to restore and manage power stations.
NUM calls for strong action against those responsible for Jagersfontein dam disaster
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EWN reports that the National Union of Metalworkers (NUM) says while mine company bosses have already publicly accepted responsibility for the Jagersfontein dam disaster, there should be strong action taken against those responsible.
Top earners and graduates losing faith in SA, mulling emigration
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Business Times reports that as emigration by skilled South Africans rises, experts in the auditing and insurance sectors have warned that this will weaken the country’s skills base and reduce the pool of wealthy individuals, whose spending on goods and services supports many businesses.
Popcru members to march to Union Buildings on Tuesday over dissatisfaction with government’s 3% final wage offer
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BL Premium reports that the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), representing 160,000 police, corrections and traffic officials, is to march to the Union Buildings on Tuesday to submit a list of demands to President Cyril Ramaphosa in response to the government’s final pay rise offer.
Roundup on Monday, 19 September 2022 of weekend labour reports
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In our roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 16 September 2022.
Numsa expects strike certificate to be issued after deadlock in motor sector over higher wages
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BL Premium reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) expects a strike certificate to be issued after parties failed to find common ground during a dispute resolution process held over two days this week in the motor sector.
Illegal mining is a pandemic that is hurting SA‚ David Mabuza tells MPs
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TimesLive reports that deputy president David Mabuza told MPs on Thursday that communities should work with the government to help it deal with the illegal mining problem, which was fast becoming a pandemic in SA.
Man who killed co-worker on Mpumalanga farm by stabbing him 37 times sentenced to 12 years
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News24 reports that a 29-year-old man who fatally stabbed his co-worker 37 times last year was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment on Wednesday.
Cape Town teacher stabbed on Thursday by intruder in Grade 2 classroom
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News24 reports that a teacher was stabbed on Thursday morning by an intruder while at work at a Bonteheuwel primary school in Cape Town.
Alexandra high school pupil arrested for allegedly stabbing deputy principal on Wednesday
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News24 reports that a 19-year-old pupil from Realogile High School will appear in the Alexandra Magistrate's Court on Friday for allegedly stabbing the school’s deputy principal on Wednesday.
Young first-time illegal miner who paid R100 to be a zama zama killed in alleged war between illegal mining groups
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News24 reports that on Monday, a 25-year-old unemployed Zimbabwean man asked his neighbours for R100 as he wanted the money to pay to get access to work as an illegal miner in one of the disused mining shafts along the N1 in Maraisburg.
Petrol price set to go down in October, but diesel to go up
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IOL reports that early indications show that the price of petrol looks set to come down in October, while diesel will go up.
Gauteng public sector remains topmost offender in latest corruption report
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Engineering News reports that Corruption Watch (CW) has revealed in the sixth edition of its ‘Analysis of Corruption Trends’ (ACT) report that fraud made up the majority of whistle-blower reports in the six months ended 30 June, and that these issues were most prevalent in Gauteng.
Three more Mpumalanga officials held in R60 million fraud, theft and money laundering case
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News24 reports that three Mpumalanga officials have been arrested on R60 million fraud, theft and money laundering charges and are expected to appear in court on Thursday.
Zama zama infighting suspected as mutilated bodies found next to N1 freeway near Maraisburg offramp
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The Citizen reports that the badly mutilated bodies of six suspected illegal miners (zama zamas) were found scattered near the N1 freeway Maraisburg offramp, in the west of Johannesburg, on Wednesday morning.
Numsa denies throwing dismissed Putco workers under the bus in wage deal
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Business Report writes that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has denied throwing 105 workers dismissed by Putco under the bus after a settlement agreement was signed on Tuesday night that upheld their dismissal for misconduct during protests which affected more than 22,000 commuters.
Morning roundup of labour news on Thursday, 15 September 2022
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In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Solidarity threatens health department with legal action over adverts for ‘illegal’ NHI posts
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BusinessTech reports that Solidarity has sent a lawyer’s letter to the deputy director general of the National Health Insurance (NHI), Nicholas Crisp, demanding that he cease hiring activity for the prposed state-run health scheme – because it doesn’t yet exist.
DA proposes safety audits at Gauteng hospitals as staff work in fear of attacks from patients
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News24 reports that according to the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng, public hospital staff in the province are working in fear, after several staffers were slapped, punched or bitten in 43 attacks by psychiatric patients at 17 public hospitals since January last year.
Cederberg Municipality’s application to back out of bargaining council wage agreement dismissed
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The Citizen reports that the Cederberg Municipality in the Western Cape has been ordered by the SA Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC) to pay this year’s salary increments after its application to be exempted from a wage deal on the basis of financial distress was dismissed.
Alleged killer of off-duty cop who intervened in hijacking appears in Durban court
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TimesLive reports that a man arrested in connection with the murder of an off-duty policeman appeared briefly in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Cosatu in North West wants struggling Ditsobotla municipality, which unable to pay August salaries, disbanded
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SowetanLive reports that Cosatu in the North West has called for the embattled Ditsobotla local municipality to be disbanded after the local authority was unable to pay salaries in August.
Labour Court orders Eastern Cape health department to reinstate whistleblower in her former HR position
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GroundUp reports that the health department in the Eastern Cape has been ordered by the Labour Court to reinstate a “whistleblower” who was removed from her job in a district human resources office after she raised the alarm about a colleague attempting to get her niece short-listed for a job.
Expired Zimbabwean exemption permit holders who don’t apply for legal status ‘will be punished’, Motsoaledi warns
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TimesLive reports that Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Minister Aaron Motsoaledi warned on Tuesday when he appeared in Parliament that expired Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders who did not apply to be in SA legally must be prepared to face the consequences.
Illegal miner sentenced to life imprisonment plus 103 years for killing EMPD cop
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News24 reports that Bhekisisa Samora Dlamini, an illegal miner who shot dead Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officer Johannes Jacobus van der Linde in June last year, was sentenced to life imprisonment and an additional 103 years on Tuesday.
Staff at Gauteng public hospitals under attack
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City Press reports that a bleak picture was painted on Tuesday by Gauteng Health MEC Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi when she detailed the vicious attacks that have taken place at 17 public hospitals in Gauteng since January 2021.